Nova: Inside Animal Minds: Bird Genius

Sunday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m.

We have all gazed into a creature’s eyes and wondered: What is it thinking about? What does it know?

Now, the revolutionary science of animal cognition is revealing hard evidence about how animals understand the world around them, uncovering their remarkable problem-solving abilities and exploring the complexity of their powers of communication and even their emotions.

In the three-hour “Inside Animal Minds,” airing on consecutive Wednesday nights on April 9, 16 and 23, "Nova" explores these breakthroughs through the eyes of three iconic creatures: dogs, birds and dolphins.

In Part 1, "Bird Genius," researchers are discovering creatures with impressive brains. Surprisingly, many are bird brains. Crows bend and shape sticks to create custom-made spears for hunting grubs, and they are just one among a growing list of bird species whose impressive problem-solving abilities are shocking scientists and revolutionizing our understanding of animal intelligence.